Abuse Of Power In Animal Farm By George Orwell

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There are numerous ways power is abused and taken advantage of in Animal Farm. Power can be used for good and bad, it just depends on who possesses the power. Before Old Major died, he held a meeting where he talked about how mankind and Mr. Jones were their enemies. Later after he died, Mr. Jones was driven off the farm, and Napoleon became the new leader. In Animal Farm, George Orwell provides us with great examples of how the power that some of the characters held were not used for the best. To begin with, Mr. Jones was not a great leader. He took advantage of his power and didn't use it for good. For example, he would spend his time at the bar and come home drunk. Because of this, he sometimes forgot to feed the animals. ¨On Midsummer's Eve, which was a Saturday, Mr. Jones went into Willingdon and got so drunk at the Red Lion that he did not come back till midday on Sunday. The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting, without bothering to feed the animals.¨ (Orwell, 6 via Kami) Mr. Jones had the power over the farm, so it was his job to take care of the farm. When we was drunk he would forget to do all of the work around the farm at night. ¨ Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen−houses for the night, but was …show more content…

He took advantage of this power and didn't use it for good. An example of this is when Napoleon has his dogs kill all of the animals who confessed to conspiring against him. ¨When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. ¨ (Orwell, 27 via Kami) Napoleon also used his power to his advantage when he changed one of the rules and started living in the farmhouse with the other pigs. ¨You have heard then, comrades," he said, "that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse?¨ (Orwell, 22 via